Although there was little on paper to separate the two sides, it seemed during the first two ODIs that Sri Lanka were the better team for the long haul - less likely to make silly mistakes, and less likely to fold under pressure. And so it proved in the decider, as Pakistan crumbled to their ninth-lowest ODI total in a match that never threatened to become a genuine contest.

Sri Lanka strolled to their target in 18.2 overs, and Tillakaratne Dilshan reached his 38th ODI fifty with the winning four. Pakistan struck three times. They dismissed Kumar Sangakkara cheaply for the third time in a row, and the third umpire may have let Dilshan off early in his innings, but there was no way Sri Lanka were not winning this one.

For the first time in the series, Pakistan began a match in their comfort zone. Having had to chase two big targets, they won the toss and batted. This is what they like to do. It was the 31st toss Misbah-ul-Haq had won, and the 21st time he had chosen to bat. Pakistan had Saeed Ajmal back, and the pitch, everyone agreed, promised to help the spinners as the match progressed. In the deciding match of a three-match series, things were finally falling in place for them. Misbah said 260-270 would be a good score.

Pakistan did not get anywhere near that. The movement Lasith Malinga and Dhammika Prasad achieved early on may have forced them to rethink their target, but they surely would not have settled for 102 all out. They began at a crawl, scoring just six runs in the first five overs for the loss of Sharjeel Khan, but what followed flattered Sri Lanka's bowlers. This was not a typically flat ODI track, certainly, but it was definitely one on which a team could survive 50 overs. Pakistan were bowled out in less than 33, with their only respite coming during a 40-minute rain interruption when they were 81 for 8. The match was reduced, subsequently, to 48 overs a side.

Quite simply, Pakistan did not show up, which was a pity for the capacity crowd that turned up, klaxons blaring, to watch only the second ODI at the Rangiri Dambulla Stadium in the last four years. They were Sri Lanka supporters, but they would not have wanted their team to have it so easy. Dhammika Prasad replaced Nuwan Kulasekara - who had gone wicketless in the first two ODIs - and struck with just his ninth ball, as Sharjeel Khan flirted outside off stump with no footwork.

It was the start of a procession of dismissals that owed more to poor shot selection or execution than to any devilish trick of bowler or pitch. Ahmed Shehzad, Umar Akmal and Shahid Afridi were out going for big shots, Mohammad Hafeez tried to work Malinga across the line when the ball was still moving around, and Misbah was run-out for the third time in his last seven innings.

That dismissal ended the only period of play in which Pakistan threatened to dig themselves out of trouble. Fawad Alam joined Misbah with the score 14 for 3 in the eighth over, and it was not an unfamiliar situation for the two of them. During the Asia Cup final in March, against the same opposition, the two of them had put on 122 after coming together at 18 for 3. Fawad had gone on to make an unbeaten century, and with Umar Akmal adding a late flourish, Pakistan had recovered to post 260.

Misbah and Fawad began their partnership in much the same way they had done in that match, keeping the good balls out, gathering their runs with a nurdle here and a push there, and appeared to gather some momentum when they took 16 runs from the 11th over with three streaky boundaries through third man.

The end of that over brought an end to the first spells of both opening bowlers. Runs were still coming at a trickle, but that would not have bothered this pair of batsmen too much. In the second over after drinks, however, Misbah made a fatal misjudgment. He tapped the ball to the right of backward point and set off without hesitation. Mistake.

Dilshan attacked the ball, swooped down on it, got a little lucky with perfect bounce into his right hand, and threw down the stumps at the bowler's end. Misbah was nowhere near the crease, even if the umpire S Ravi was in enough doubt to signal for his colleague upstairs.

The last six wickets added 55 runs between them, as Thisara Perera extracted disconcerting bounce to run through the middle and lower order. Only Sohaib Maqsood got a genuinely difficult ball, though, one that reared at his rib-cage and kissed his glove as he tried to pull them out of the way. Umar, having smacked Thisara over long-on for six the previous ball, tried to pull him from outside off and top-edged a catch wide of mid-on. Saeed Ajmal fell in virtually the same manner. This would have been okay if he was batting with No. 11 at the other end, not so much when Fawad was still around.

Why not give Afridi a chance to open again- I know it is his decision not to do so but for the sake of cricket and his nation -Afridi has got to reconsider this. Statistics says Afridi wins you one out of 5-7 matchs if he opens the game because on average he makes 10-20 runs in quick time that generates enough momentum for the rest of the players. It is worth trying this experiment again. Mr. Afridi and Mr. Waqar. if you are not willing to try new or old tricks how are you going to make a change visible. Nothing wrong to play the impact player and your trump card. The hind sight for the last couple of decades is keep the big hitters for the later part of the game but then these bombs either implode or fail to explode at all.

dummy4fb
on September 2, 2014, 1:10 GMT

Sri Lanka and Pakistan are definitely better than India and are favorites for CWC 2015.

android_user
on September 1, 2014, 12:01 GMT

pak should bring in new openers our batting is v.week i would suggest give chance to all rounders like hammad azam and anwar ali and bilawal bhatti make sohaib come on one down and fawad second make haffeez come on 6 or 7 open with shezad and sami aslam bring in sarfaraz ahmed as wicket keeper and let umer akmal play as a betsmen nd give him full chance also use zulfiqar babar please give chances to new players we are tired of seeing same team loosing and loosing again

Cricsnake
on September 1, 2014, 10:14 GMT

For the 2015 WC we need new bowlers. SLC missed the chance for testing couple of young bowlers. Malinga & Kulasekara are both aged & exposed while Eranga & Lakmal are the other options. At least Binura Fernando should have given a chance. Only Thissara Perera was the impressive youngster. We need more young quality fastmen; specially lefties. Herath is a quality test bowler but seems too old for ODI's specially fielding in fast pitches. We should use him carefully for tests as he has very limited time most probably another one year. Tharindu Kaushal should have been tested & at least Suraj Randiv wasn't used from the squad. SLC just focused on winning the series anyhow after loosing to SA. In my opinion that costs for the future. 2015 ODI WC in Aus won't be that easy as many people think. Another few months & NZ tour is the key to build up the squad.

Cricsnake
on September 1, 2014, 9:52 GMT

A well deserved Victory for SL. First match was a close combat & Pakistan did extremely well. Second match also a thriller in the beginning. In the 3rd ODI Pakistan collapsed due to their lack of awareness about the pitch. But SL bowlers deserves the credit to run through the Pakistani line-up. They newer let them to settle. As far as 2015 ODI WC is concerned we have the most experienced & most aged squad. having four batsmen Dilshan, Sanga, Mahela & Mathews. They must take the responsibility when batting. Chandi & Thiri also did well in Aussie conditions & if they are in form it would be an added advantage. I don't have much faith on Kusal Janith in Aus. If he plays he could add a quick 15-20 runs too.

dummy4fb
on September 1, 2014, 7:10 GMT

Congratulations Sri Lanka for yet another series win. Hopefully the one day squad is steadily been moulded but no one is indispensable and only current form will be the criteria to make it to the final squad for the World Cup which is of course about 6 months away and Sri Lanka have more fixtures to complete against England & New Zealand in the interim period. It is also hoped that out of form Thirimanne & Chandimal will have to justify their positions in the upcoming series with performances if they are to be considered as SL cannot afford to have bench warmers in the World Cup squad.

dummy4fb
on September 1, 2014, 5:38 GMT

My suggestion for upcoming Aust series in UAE, bring in Azhar Ali as opener, he is clever/defensive & plays with 70-80 SR. 2nd Sarfaraz in place of Umar Akmal & Asad Shafiq in place of Younis khan. Afridi can be replaced with Hamad Azam. Give him a chance for 1 whole series. Let pathan rest.

dhanuhskaS
on September 1, 2014, 3:26 GMT

Some posters seem to be more interested to see their favorites in the team than SL loosing the WC! Otherwise, how on earth someone can suggest a failure like Kusal? He already ruined 2013 ICC Champions trophy in Eng where he managed just 14 runs@ 3.5 Av in 4 ODIs!

Kusal Perera after giving 32 consecutive Odis did manage a single hundred in BD! Look at his stats, just a solitary 100 (vs BD) & just 3 Fifties (2 in BD & in 1 in Sharjah) FROM 33 MATCHES. This guy is just a t20 player, and his cross-bat Arial slog to squire-leg is effective only on slow flat decks. That is why he couldn't score beyond 10 runs in 75% of his 32 innings & couldn't survive beyond 18 balls 90% of his innings played Eng/Aus/ WI/Irelnd. Keep suggesting an inept like him is unbelievabl

dummy4fb
on September 1, 2014, 2:41 GMT

Thanks for the selectors not including Kulasekara who can't bowl at good pace.

dummy4fb
on September 1, 2014, 2:40 GMT

Well done Thisara and SL. Thisara Perera should be promoted as vice captain. He should be a permanent member of ODI and T20 team. Now the team is well balance except the openers.

dummy4fb
on September 4, 2014, 5:34 GMT

Why not give Afridi a chance to open again- I know it is his decision not to do so but for the sake of cricket and his nation -Afridi has got to reconsider this. Statistics says Afridi wins you one out of 5-7 matchs if he opens the game because on average he makes 10-20 runs in quick time that generates enough momentum for the rest of the players. It is worth trying this experiment again. Mr. Afridi and Mr. Waqar. if you are not willing to try new or old tricks how are you going to make a change visible. Nothing wrong to play the impact player and your trump card. The hind sight for the last couple of decades is keep the big hitters for the later part of the game but then these bombs either implode or fail to explode at all.

dummy4fb
on September 2, 2014, 1:10 GMT

Sri Lanka and Pakistan are definitely better than India and are favorites for CWC 2015.

android_user
on September 1, 2014, 12:01 GMT

pak should bring in new openers our batting is v.week i would suggest give chance to all rounders like hammad azam and anwar ali and bilawal bhatti make sohaib come on one down and fawad second make haffeez come on 6 or 7 open with shezad and sami aslam bring in sarfaraz ahmed as wicket keeper and let umer akmal play as a betsmen nd give him full chance also use zulfiqar babar please give chances to new players we are tired of seeing same team loosing and loosing again

Cricsnake
on September 1, 2014, 10:14 GMT

For the 2015 WC we need new bowlers. SLC missed the chance for testing couple of young bowlers. Malinga & Kulasekara are both aged & exposed while Eranga & Lakmal are the other options. At least Binura Fernando should have given a chance. Only Thissara Perera was the impressive youngster. We need more young quality fastmen; specially lefties. Herath is a quality test bowler but seems too old for ODI's specially fielding in fast pitches. We should use him carefully for tests as he has very limited time most probably another one year. Tharindu Kaushal should have been tested & at least Suraj Randiv wasn't used from the squad. SLC just focused on winning the series anyhow after loosing to SA. In my opinion that costs for the future. 2015 ODI WC in Aus won't be that easy as many people think. Another few months & NZ tour is the key to build up the squad.

Cricsnake
on September 1, 2014, 9:52 GMT

A well deserved Victory for SL. First match was a close combat & Pakistan did extremely well. Second match also a thriller in the beginning. In the 3rd ODI Pakistan collapsed due to their lack of awareness about the pitch. But SL bowlers deserves the credit to run through the Pakistani line-up. They newer let them to settle. As far as 2015 ODI WC is concerned we have the most experienced & most aged squad. having four batsmen Dilshan, Sanga, Mahela & Mathews. They must take the responsibility when batting. Chandi & Thiri also did well in Aussie conditions & if they are in form it would be an added advantage. I don't have much faith on Kusal Janith in Aus. If he plays he could add a quick 15-20 runs too.

dummy4fb
on September 1, 2014, 7:10 GMT

Congratulations Sri Lanka for yet another series win. Hopefully the one day squad is steadily been moulded but no one is indispensable and only current form will be the criteria to make it to the final squad for the World Cup which is of course about 6 months away and Sri Lanka have more fixtures to complete against England & New Zealand in the interim period. It is also hoped that out of form Thirimanne & Chandimal will have to justify their positions in the upcoming series with performances if they are to be considered as SL cannot afford to have bench warmers in the World Cup squad.

dummy4fb
on September 1, 2014, 5:38 GMT

My suggestion for upcoming Aust series in UAE, bring in Azhar Ali as opener, he is clever/defensive & plays with 70-80 SR. 2nd Sarfaraz in place of Umar Akmal & Asad Shafiq in place of Younis khan. Afridi can be replaced with Hamad Azam. Give him a chance for 1 whole series. Let pathan rest.

dhanuhskaS
on September 1, 2014, 3:26 GMT

Some posters seem to be more interested to see their favorites in the team than SL loosing the WC! Otherwise, how on earth someone can suggest a failure like Kusal? He already ruined 2013 ICC Champions trophy in Eng where he managed just 14 runs@ 3.5 Av in 4 ODIs!

Kusal Perera after giving 32 consecutive Odis did manage a single hundred in BD! Look at his stats, just a solitary 100 (vs BD) & just 3 Fifties (2 in BD & in 1 in Sharjah) FROM 33 MATCHES. This guy is just a t20 player, and his cross-bat Arial slog to squire-leg is effective only on slow flat decks. That is why he couldn't score beyond 10 runs in 75% of his 32 innings & couldn't survive beyond 18 balls 90% of his innings played Eng/Aus/ WI/Irelnd. Keep suggesting an inept like him is unbelievabl

dummy4fb
on September 1, 2014, 2:41 GMT

Thanks for the selectors not including Kulasekara who can't bowl at good pace.

dummy4fb
on September 1, 2014, 2:40 GMT

Well done Thisara and SL. Thisara Perera should be promoted as vice captain. He should be a permanent member of ODI and T20 team. Now the team is well balance except the openers.

dummy4fb
on August 31, 2014, 16:47 GMT

Since my earlier comment has been omitted, I will rephrase it. A cricket match is played for the spectators and viewers over TV. Out of that paying spectator who takes the trouble to travel to a remote area to watch a cricket match is very much important. This cricket stadium lacks basic facilities for the paying spectators. The choice and quantity of food available, sanitary facilities etc. are very poor. In addition paying spectators are harassed by letting in all non paying spectators to Grand Stand Area etc. in mass scale. The quality of cricket played by Pakistan when they were batting was also poor in consistent with ground facilities. It was not a 102 run wicket. But it was not a 250+ wicket as well. Pakistan batsmen failed to adapt to that. How many times Afridi is getting out to no-brainer scoring shots under the match situation? What is his success rate as a pinch hitter lower down the order nowadays? I am a Sri Lankan but Pakistan spectators deserve to see better cricket.

Sports4Youth
on August 31, 2014, 15:45 GMT

Enough of Sharjeel. look for better batsmen like Harris Sohail etc. Dump the oldies like Misbah & Younis in the shorter formats. Misbahs golden run with the bat is over. Dont waste SADAF HUSSAIN. SARFRAZ AHMED should keep wickets in all formats. Let Umar Akmal play as a specialist batsman and filed at point/cover etc. He is a good fielder and a very bad Keeper.

Sports4Youth
on August 31, 2014, 15:40 GMT

Posted by Imran Mian on (August 31, 2014, 10:52 GMT):

Completely agreed with your views. But the worst part of the selection was the Inclusion of Younis Khan in the ODI series. Also what was urgently required after the test series was to hold back SARFRAZ AHMED with the team and add him to the ODI squad. But the selectors, Misbah & Waqar completely failed to realise this. Even the Sri Lankan selectors were surprised that Sarfraz was not added to the ODI squad.

RAMEEZ RAJA & UMAR AKMAL deserve a special para. After the 2nd ODI Rameez said that Umar Akmals role has to be defined & you cannot expect him to keep wickets and bat at no.4 or 5. Then during the last ODI when FAWAD ALAM was promoted in the batting order, immediately Rameez said that "an Umar Akmal was required to accelerate." Now it has been so many years of failure and dissapointment from U.Akmal, but Rameez never gets tired of praising him. give the gloves to SARFRAZ, & Umar is better at point.

dummy4fb
on August 31, 2014, 14:50 GMT

Bring back Usman Salahudin and also Naveed Yaseen they are such a quility n sentiment players and they r able to demolish the opposition

dummy4fb
on August 31, 2014, 14:20 GMT

Finaly Thisara proved abt himself.now its time for him to keep continue the talent wht he has

INDSlider
on August 31, 2014, 13:46 GMT

Pakistan is still a great team. They just lost to a team who performed exceptionally well in home and away. Also, they never lost within 3 days in tests. They will be easily among the top 2 teams in WC group B along with SA.

getsetgopk
on August 31, 2014, 11:26 GMT

Misbah's miracle run is at an end, need to get rid of him, the sooner the better. Make Afridi the captain and you will have a team capable of winning but with Waqar as head coach, that probably will not happen for some time. Waqar as a bowling coach is probably the best thing ever but as a head coach he's not useful at all. For a head coach we need someone like Mohsin Hasan Khan, an ideal mentor who can give mental strength to the boys, Waqar is more like a technician and inadequate to cover the psychological aspects of the game which is key to winning games and sustaining pressure out in the middle. And SL are the new Kings of cricket in Sub continent for the time being at least, SL still far from being a truly world class because their fast bowling is still below par in my opinion, Pak still has the best bowling attack but SL truly have world class batsmen.

GNANZCUPID.
on August 31, 2014, 11:18 GMT

@Gaurav Manchanda, we Indians love to get dismissed for double digits and here are the examples. In 1997 we got all out for 66 in Durban, in 1997 we got all out for 81 against West Indies in Bridgetown, 54 all out against Sri Lanka in the Sharjah expressway in 2000, 76 all out against SA in Ahmedabad in 2008. That shows how great is our Indian batting.

dummy4fb
on August 31, 2014, 10:52 GMT

It is futile to mention why Pakistan had lost as they will keep loosing unless we get rid of the same useless cricketers who have been tested so many times but have always produced same old result- A Big Failure!. Players who perform in one match and fail in the next 15~20 matches and yet keep coming back into the team after temporary suspension; who are in the team on favoritism, nepotism and on politcal grounds. Players like Hafeez, Umar Akmal, Shahid Afridi. Most agonizing thing is the comments of our Pakistani commentators specially like Ramiz Raja who would praise these players and compare them to the likes of best batsmen of other countries. Who call a player like Mohammed Hafeez a Professor!! Yes, he is but professor of failures. Its a shame that we deprive the real talent of the chance for playing for the country and keep insisting with players who are a real disgrace. A real pity.

cricfan92549016
on August 31, 2014, 10:50 GMT

Pakistan has all the cricketing talents in the world but still their proving their poor prediction ability.

xylofon
on August 31, 2014, 10:38 GMT

First of all congrats SL.

As a pak fan we all know whats wrong but lets not get carried away. This isnt the WC and its better the batting failure/selection weakness is showing now rather than later.

Pakistan has decent batting talent, Babar Azam, Sami Aslam & Imam Ul Haq are part of the future plans Im sure. They keep doing well in U19 (won the world cup) and U23 so people are aware.

What we need is fair selection. The only two names that HAVE to be brought back are Nasir Jamshed and Haris Sohail.

A lot of the batters arent getting support they need and some players are being overexposed like Ajmal.

My batting lineup: Ahmed Shehzad, Misbah, Nasir Jamshed, Fawad Alam, Umar Akmal & Haris Sohail. This is for ODI & T20 (except Misbah shouldnt be T20 player or ODI captain but ODI batter he is ok if he plays EARLY. Umar Akmal should be dropped temporarily because of his hero tactics but he has the taltent.)

Pakistan has the goods but fair selection is needed.

dummy4fb
on August 31, 2014, 9:36 GMT

kick aftidi and umar akmal out. bring back sarfaraz in all three formats. kick sharjeel out as well. and plz no more old faces like shoaib malik and razzaq. their cricket is over long ago. utilize new blood groom them make them technically sound before throwing them in international team.

@Cricketlover54: Where were you when SL bundled out for just 74 runs in England by England, 45 runs in SA by SA and 96 runs by India in WI tri-series ? I am talking about ODIs... now thats Super humiliation

Lalindra2012
on August 31, 2014, 7:55 GMT

As Marvan finishes this home series with the Boy's with a win, and adds yet another feather to his cap, it's up to the SLC to decide whether there are happy to go ahead with Marvan as the Head Coach and to bring in a foreigner as an Assistant Coach or to get a consultant who knows well the New Zealand and Australian conditions, pitches, opponent players strengths and weaknesses, the boys in the current Sri Lankan line up etc.... or to bring a Head Coach out of no where, hoping that if a foreigner is selected as the Head Coach that he would not abandoned this team in the eleventh hour....!

SpaceTimer
on August 31, 2014, 7:50 GMT

Pakistan Team is full of talent.
Shezad, Hafeez, Misbah, Fahad, Masqood, Akmal, Afridi, Ajmal, Junaid.
9 quality players out of 11. Just the batamen need to play long innings like Misbah and fahad.

Sri Lankan team looking pretty solid for the worldcup.
Opening position = Kusal/Tharanga/Thiri
Then Dilshan, Sanga, Mahela, Mathews
then Priyanjan/Thiri/Vithanage
then Thisara/Seekuge depending on the pitch
Herath/Senanayake (if he make a comeback)
Kule/Prasad + Malinga (who im sure will be back in form in the WC as he always do)

1 of the top 5 have to make a 80+ while another score a 50+ (4 of them arein form)
others will chip in to post or chase 270+ every time.
and can certainly defend 270+ if senanayake comes back and
If malinga gets his form back

Sports4Youth
on August 31, 2014, 7:47 GMT

Great result. This exactly what you could expect from such a team. Pakistan's best batsman in the Test series was SARFRAZ AHMED and he was not included in this ODI series. Pakistan's best batsman in the ODI series was FAWAD ALAM and he was not a part of the Test series. Can you believe it. Always Pakistan's batting has been weak but instead of streanthening it Misbah, Waqar & selectors keep finding ways of keeping better players like Fawad, Haris, Sadaf etc out.

Other players who should be urgently checked are Harris Sohail, Sadaf Hussain etc. BILAWAL BHATTI, SARFRAZ AHMED and ANWAR ALIdeserved to be in the ODI SQUAD.

Misbah has been a complete failure in both the formats, his golden run is over. YOUNIS KHAN should not be brought back in the ODI format. except his 177 in the first test, Younis also failed and dissapointed. ITS HIGH TIME THAT YOU STOP TAKING OLDIES IN THE SORTER FORMAT AND START GROOMING YOUNG & PROMISING YOUNSTERS.

GNANZCUPID.
on August 31, 2014, 7:32 GMT

@Cricketlover54, yes sir we Indians wanted to avoid facing Moeen Ali so we decided to get all out inside 30 overs before he came to bowl. That was our strategy.

Cricketlover54
on August 31, 2014, 7:07 GMT

@SLSlider. Where were you in India's test series in England? hahaa, getting bundled out in 3 days, now thats humiliation.

Bdcricketdebator
on August 31, 2014, 6:37 GMT

Pakistan is a minnow team.i expected sl to beat them by atleast 100 runs or 10 wckts every match.we need to improve a lot to win wc beacause it was just pak.

SLslider
on August 31, 2014, 5:39 GMT

After hiding for so many days when we got the hammering from SA, we are back by humiliating PAK. Pak has to be the worst team in the world. No wonder they even got hammered by ZIM.

wapuser
on August 31, 2014, 4:42 GMT

Afradi need to go for good look like he want to came a capton umar akmal need to go I'm sure if pcb bring young new player they will win for Pakistan I mean pcb need to find player who want win the game for Pakistan not for them self like afradi like umar afrdi he didn't take any wkt in 3 game he didn't even score 50 run in all 3 game
Why they want play any player who no good for team why why I remember when sir lank use to come PAKISTAN for practice before they go play Australia England all player who are zero come hero angast Pakistan

KiwiRocker-
on August 31, 2014, 4:29 GMT

The comments about bringing back Razzaq and etc are just silly. Pakistan has to look towards future and prepare some future match winners. I simply can not understand why Sharjeel Khan has been allowed to play so many matches. He should be side lined as he has been found out..bit like Nasir Jamshed. Ahmad Shahzad, Fawad Alam, Hafeez and Sohaib Maqsood are the only batsmen who should be retained. Time has come to thank Misbah and Afridi as both offer nothing. Umer Akmal should be banned for life to play for Pakistan as he has learnt nothing and continues playing in same way. Sarfraz is easily Pakistan's best wicket-keeper and now a good batsman too.Time has also come to provide experience to promising Sami Aslam as an opener and Imam Ul Haq.Pakistan has talent and Pakistan's U.19 teams prove that. Gohar and Karamat are quality spinners so unsure why Pakistan keeps carrying out likes of Rehman and Afridi. I do not think the changes that I am suggesting would happen as it requires guts!

wapuser
on August 31, 2014, 4:27 GMT

i think mishbah remove the pak team.recall razzak and nazir.nazir and afridi open the pak team.so captain afridi very strong ..

Sports4Youth
on August 31, 2014, 3:47 GMT

A perfect result for Misbah & Waqar. Now consider this. Pakistans best batsman in the Test series was SARFRAZ AHMED and he was not included in this ODI series. Pakistans best batsman in the ODI series was FAWAD ALAM and he was not a part of the Test series. Can you believe it. Always Pakistans batting has been weak but instead of streanthening it Misbah, Waqar & selectors keep finding ways of keeping it week only.

Other players who should be urgently checked are Harris Sohail, Sadaf Hussain etc. Bilawal and Anwar ali deserved to play.

.

android_user
on August 31, 2014, 3:45 GMT

pakistan should drop sharjeel bring in new talent like sami aslam he is v.consistent open with sami aslam and ahmed first down should be fawad alam then sohaib maqsood then umer akmal then sarfaraz then afridi then anwar ali (all rounder)/hammad azam(all rounder) then wahab then saeed and junaid /irfan (only if he is fully fit) pakistan never give chANCE to any deserving youngsters look at v.kholi and look at anwer both played in under 19 wc anwer made pakistan win that wc but after that he got selected now after 8 years waqar should work on fast bowlers call everyone like bilawal junaid anwar talha wahab irfan and even hammad azam amd work with them for 6 weeks we have till aus series and then choose from them who ever he thinks is deserved a chance

Sexysteven
on August 31, 2014, 3:34 GMT

The trouble with Pakistan is that they change there team to much they don't have achance to gel together I think they should pick there best team with a lot of young players and stick with them for ten or so games before you drop them give them agood opportunity to perform dropping them after 1or2 failures ain't going to help them or Pakistan until that happens Pakistan will always be inconsistent as for Sri Lanka I get the feeling they do need to blood more young players if they are going to progress cos the senior players are near the end and you don't want to be blooding to many young players at the same time you need to ease them in while there still is experience players around

SDeepalV
on August 31, 2014, 2:41 GMT

It's a great show, especially coming behind and win the series.
Credit should go to Mathews and his team, which he binds together. Thisara was sidelined during last 2 months and demoted to the A team due to various disciplinary reasons. I was told that he was about to leave the country and play domestic cricket in a country down under, where they have assured him the spot in the national side after two years. Great answer THISARA.
Very impressive on Dhammika prasad, who is a revelation, besides no permanent place in the team. I believe the Dambulla pitch is a great place to practice on, in preparation to the World cup, which showed some similar characteristics to the pitches Down under.
STILL I CANNOT BELIEVE THE WAY THESE LANKANS ARE PLAYING, DESPITE ENORMOUS PROBLEMS BEHIND THE SCENES AT SLC.
Anyways.. keep on work hard boys....
Deepal V

dummy4fb
on August 31, 2014, 2:23 GMT

misbah performance in whole tour was bad umar akmal continues to play bad shots and getting out why sarfraz not given chance in odi sack misbah and make a new captain !

dummy4fb
on August 31, 2014, 2:22 GMT

what a bad performance sack misbah and make afridi to lead in worldcup afridi needs to boost his performance with bat and ball sharjeel khan agai and again presence is a big question ! cant read misbah mind

android_user
on August 31, 2014, 2:19 GMT

most of the pakistan fans are saying that they need afridi. but, just look at his performances in this series. got 19 runs and couldn't get at least one wicket. he was wicketless in 3 matches. you can't expect that kind of record from a player who played 380 matches. he can't build a partnership either. so,why he should get a place in pakistan side?

mensan
on August 31, 2014, 0:23 GMT

May people have commented correctly about state of PAK team. As I said before, Misbah should retire immediately. Misbah has lost his form and his captaincy is not taking Pakistan forward. He has been good servant to PAK team but being on wrong side of 40, his time is up. Make Younis captain.

Sharjeel should be axed; no technique, no temperament I also suggest same for Afridi. He is 34+ and too old for his style of play. He is hand-eye coordination player like Sehwag. With slowing reflexes with age, he is no more the same in batting. He can win 1 match in 20 outings but is that enough? He hasn't taken any wicket in this series.

Rest of the team needs little changes. Sarfraz should be there as keeper and used a opener in one-dayers. Younis may open as well as he has done in past. Hafeez should bat at No. 5 or 6. Please develop leg spinners like Yasir and Karamat Ali. Our spin back up is not good.

android_user
on August 30, 2014, 23:54 GMT

Thoroughly deserved victory for Lions! Outplayed Pak...Thisara was outstanding throughout and oh boy he has given such a solid answer y he should be retained in playing XI...Really impress wt Angis captaincy. He is growing in stature now..I think we should be stick wt same combination rather than including out of form Chandi n Thiri. We should experiment likes of Binura Fernando and Lahiru Gamage prior to the world cup. They would be handy in Aus & Nz pitches...We would be one f strong front runners if we stick with right combination....

espncricinfomobile
on August 30, 2014, 23:52 GMT

Few changes what team Pakistan must do for future
*Keep Sarfaraz and Umar both as equal contenders for Wk role as offlate, sarfarax has proved that he is technically n mentally a good batsman and umar akmal has proved that he is as good keeper as kamran was, so it makes both of them equal
* Sharjeel has been given enough chances, now we need to shuffle a bit. Bring haris sohail and Nasir jamshed/Imran farhat. Haris can be a replacement of Sohaib maqsood or both can play if hafeez opens with shehzad
*18 men squad for the WC should be:
Shehzad, jamshed/farhat, hafeez, misbah, umar, sarfaraz, maqsood, fawad, haris, Asad shafique, younis, afridi, ajmal, irfan, wahab, junaid, talha/sohail tanveer, Abdul Razzaq
This squad has all the necessary fast bowling resources with back up, an alrounder who can play on fast pitches well, a batting department with backups of all, and 2 wicket keepers equally talented
Pakistan should give these 18 men as many chances as they can before WC15

CricketChat
on August 30, 2014, 22:34 GMT

Any team that loses that many wkts to Thisara Perera deserves to lose. Pak top order batting collapses have become pretty routine of late. Umar always used to salvage batting collapses, but his repeated failure hurt Pak badly. Bowling wise, Pak is still as good as any sub-continent team.

t20cric
on August 30, 2014, 22:32 GMT

Pakistan's next series is against Australia in October (so Ajmal's results will be known by then). They have 1 month to work on their game. If the ODI squad looks like this one then we can expect similar results. But if it includes most of the following changes then we have a chance: Sarfraz Ahmed instead of Umar Akmal, any new opener instead of Sharjeel Khan, Sadaf Hussain instead of Mohammad Talha, Haris Sohail instead of Younis Khan(but giving Younis a chance might not be wrong), Raza Hassan instead of Zulfiqar Babar (or Saeed Ajmal if he gets banned), Hammad Azam instead of Shahid Afridi, captaincy taken from Misbah & given to Fawad. If Misbah fails in the next series as well then he could be dropped as well for some other young middle order batsman. This may seem like a lot of changes but with these changes our bench will be much stronger & our team will be filled with a lot of youngsters.

t20cric
on August 30, 2014, 22:14 GMT

(cont) Fawad Alam is a good batsman & needs to play as many formats as possible @ 3 or 4. Sohaib Maqsood is good but he needs to be more consistent. Wahab Riaz took plenty of wickets but he needs to improve on his economy & death bowling. It would also be helpful if all bowlers including Wahab could learn how to score a quick 10-20 runs fairly consistently. Mohammad Irfan bowled good in patches but needs to improve. Same thing for Junaid Khan. Saeed Ajmal was good in his only match.

t20cric
on August 30, 2014, 22:07 GMT

Horrible performance from Pakistan but good job Sri Lanka. Pakistan team needs a complete reset but its a shame that we only have 2 series before world cup. Either Pakistan can understand that they won't be able to win 2015 wc and try to make a completely new team with all youngsters. Or they can do a bunch of short term fixes to get a team that would be lucky to get to the semi-finals. Fawad Alam was amazing in this series & Sarfraz was amazing in the test series. Both players should at least be playing ODI & Test. Sharjeel's time is up & we either need to give Jamshed another chance or try a new opener. Shehzad should be given a few more chances & be told to play aggressively. Hafeez needs to make more runs or move down the order. Misbah needs to change his captaining approach or make way for another captain. Umar Akmal is immature & now I agree with others that he is overhyped & has no talent. Shahid Afridi needs to play too the situation or make way. (continued on next post)

dummy4fb
on August 30, 2014, 22:06 GMT

The current failure was because Pak played after long break, whereas SL were playing and winning in recent past overseas and at home.
My Pak 11/18 till WC is as follows.
1/1. Captain (Misbah*) cannot be changed now.
2/4. Nasir Jamshaid should also be kept in line with Sharjeel Khan, because both would need some time before they get settled before WC. Of course, at this stage, Pak has no option other than Hafeez and Ahmad Shahzad until WC. Only two of them appear in final line up of WC.
1. Sarfraz should be kept with confidence. U Akmal is definitely alternate.
3/4. Final three should be selected based on form for WC among Umer Akmal, Sohaib Maqsood, Fawad Alam, Younis*.
1/2. In presence of Hafeez, only one spinner is needed from Afridi* & Ajmal*.
1/2. One of Bhatti or Anwar Ali should be included as bowling all rounders.
2/4. Umer Gul, Irfan, Wahab Riaz, Junaid Khan all should be rotated till world cup to keep them fresh and in rhythm.
Of course * should retire from OD after WC.

dummy4fb
on August 30, 2014, 21:50 GMT

SL Needed a bowler who can bowl close to 140 Mark and really happy with the inclusion of Prasad, after Senanayaka comes back he can replace Seekuge then the team is well balanced apart from Opener, both Kusal and Tharanga are not doing a good job.

Pak need a young Captain, a new keeper (someone not from Akmal family) and to remove Afridi, the guy score once in two blue moons and never play according to the situation, and a new top order too

wapuser
on August 30, 2014, 21:06 GMT

Hi nobody talk about afradi ? He afradi need to drop right away from team ) he want to be capton afradi ail teere se do shakar Karene ki kushash ki he don't wAnt to see waqar as couch misbha capton he did same with m yousaf and butt if you wAnt to save Pakistan cricket kick him out of the PAK cricket for good he never play for team he only play for him self ) he took wkt and the away he got out in each game

android_user
on August 30, 2014, 20:36 GMT

Why is there such envy on Hafeez. As a Sri Lankan fan and a cricket addict, I see Hafeez as a major character in the Pakistani squad. He was impressive both with the ball and bat during the Sri Lankan series and I wonder why he wasn't there for the Test squad. Do not blame a man by just looking at him. Think, think wise and yes, Pakistan needs some experienced characters back in the squad. Razzak would be a perfect choice.

Mustafa7861
on August 30, 2014, 19:59 GMT

The Pakistan team needs to be changed completely, now the to order is worst. We need Razzak back along with some experience players.

The worst player Hafeez and the top order needs to be dropped along with bowling change.

We want all the some seniors like Razzak, Nazir, Nasir and some player in bowling department.

Mustafa008
on August 30, 2014, 19:48 GMT

At least now Pakistan selectors must learn some thing, it is very high time to take decision. First of all bring back Abdul Razzak and Imran Nazir along with Nasir Jamsheed.

Remove Hafeez from the team, he has to be dropped.

trabosher
on August 30, 2014, 19:25 GMT

I'm pretty sure 40% of what our bowlers concede is due so misfields. The bowlers are doing fine. I believe the pacers actually did quite well for us in conditions that were against them but you can't get wickets when there are misfields that LEAK runs. You can't win like that in cricket, it's a team game; you'll never win anything until the team members start assisting the bowlers. As far as the batting is concerned, I don't have any idea what the players are doing, or the player positions are. Fawad Alam at number 7/8. Umar Akmal keeping and at num.4. You know Akmal can't keep AND bat. If you want to win you better change that. I'd rather have Fawad at number3 with Hafeez or Sharjeel with Shehzad. Then Sarfraz at number 7 so Akmal doesn't need gloves. If he doesn't perform, then leave him and get Maqsood at 4. Till then he's at 5. Misbah at 6 and SARFRAZ at 7. Then I'd have Bhatti, Junaid, Talha, Anwar, Irfan, Wahab; anyone anywhere. I just solved the whole problem in 1000 characters.

dummy4fb
on August 30, 2014, 18:48 GMT

Well not much Pak can do in this scenario.I recommend just keep on changing the batsmen until they find a good reliable bat. Only Fawad,Shoaib and Misbah worth retaining in this batting line up.Hafez cannot play only as a bowler he should know that.We need a proper batsman at the no 3 position I think Maqsood will do nicely there.The other 4 batsmen need to be kept on rotational basis.As for the excuse of "not being able to settle if not given time" that does not matter.The problem is not that Shehzad,Shirjeel,Umar and Hafeez are going through a bad patch the point is they do not belong to the top level.They might play a good innings every now and then but one look at them shows that they are nowhere near as good as is required at this level.technically,talent wise,temperament wise.If they arent then why keep on trying them?Asad,Sarfraz,Shahzaib,Nasir,Hammad all need to be tested so that atleast we can feel satisfied that we have tried everyone.

Kays789
on August 30, 2014, 17:41 GMT

Have no idea why SL supporters keep suggesting Kusal Perera a place in the team let alone as opener. He is the least capable 'batsman' i have seen in SL colors in a long long time. Completely inept at playing anything except for an over-pitched half-volley two feet outside the off stump. He's scored less than 10 runs in over 75% of his ODI innings. This guy would be embarrassing everyone if SL took him anywhere near Australia/NZ next year.

Manav_Batra42
on August 30, 2014, 17:33 GMT

This seems to be strategy of Pakistan. Play so poor till WC starts so as to lower public expectations and then give your best performance to reach SF and then Pakistani Media and Public would say ' But they did well, PAK reached SF. Nobody expected that. Afridi is a good captain' Its what they did last time. The main issue is that since the exit of Saeed, Inzy and Yohana (Md. Yousuf after he changed his name) Pakistan's batting may be better than BD only. They also have lost a bit of impact in bowling, still its good enough. I dont think they would reach even SF this time cause this is one of the worst PAK sides I have seen in last decade and half. Seriously not upto the level..IND and SRI are way ahead of PAK

zzby
on August 30, 2014, 17:30 GMT

Pakistani team played really well in the first match now troll coming from every corner and thrashing team Pakistan is disgusting. Pakistan doesn't played well but that don't mean that they cant come back and perform well in future. Team Pakistan is in top 5 sides to look for in the next worldcup and having better chances then Srilanka due to superior pace attack.

karnamgiridhar
on August 30, 2014, 17:13 GMT

When pak cricket loses I feel dissappoinwted. Wonderful bunch of talent but inconsistent. Love afridi playing good cricketing shots. Just thst sri lankans wee moe desciplined and that made them win the series. Common pakistan, wish you all peak at right time as world cup is nearing. Cricket fan from india.

yogicoolboy
on August 30, 2014, 17:12 GMT

Change in captain is must in pakistant one day side. Hafeez wont be a bad option

gghdty
on August 30, 2014, 16:56 GMT

Well played Sri lanka. Sharjeel should be dropped. Misbah has proven is no rotator of strike and cannot judge a situation. He might be eloquent in the way he speaks but that's not the biggest requirement for a captain , get an interpreter for the team or captain. Misbah should only play tests and that too not as captain. Umar Akmal and Shahid Afridi should both be dropped immediately, the way they play is an insult to the trust, responsibility and chances given to them. They need not waste a precious Pakistani cricket teams position. Anwar Ali and Asad Shafiq should be included and given proper chances to prove themselves. I think the present management is doing a good job of making problems surface so they can be eliminated. Fawad alam or Sohaib Maqssod should be our permanent #3 and 4. Hafeez should open with Shezad. Wahab is doing good and deserves a longer stay this time. Sarfraz Ahmad should be a permanent member. Overall well done management and its not a sarcastic remark.

dummy4fb
on August 30, 2014, 16:51 GMT

no matter what changes made in the team, the first thing is most of the players (10 out of 11) are irresponsible , every individual player should understand what is my role in the team, they have to think and keep in mind when u come into bat what is the score ,how many wickets already fallen , how many overs left, how many runs still required , with out keeping all this in mind and playing irresponsible shots .Pakistan players need to learn how to play according to situation . It is the responsibility of coach as well to teach and keep on saying all this to players .

dummy4fb
on August 30, 2014, 16:27 GMT

Thisara lost his place in the team only because they wanted to keep 7 batsman in the team with under performing Vice captains so it was clear he lost his place to keep the vice captains in the team, 6 batsman and thisara at 7 is the best combination for SL. He is not just a wild hitter so need to let him to bat at 7.

android_user
on August 30, 2014, 16:22 GMT

regarding changes: i think Pakistan need lot of changes,. only captain wont do anything. Sharjeel is just poor ,. Umar and Afridi were just too poor. after playing 100s of games they cant really see what situation they are in. Afridi particularly. you have 26 overs left. thats 156 balls to hit if you want that. and if you cant play then at least support fawad. Umar is too much inconsistent. We hear it alot of times about natural talent etc. but its the manner he gets out is bad.

Misbah, Afridi, Sharjeel and even Umar should be dropped. Hafeez play at 6 or 7. Make Alam or Ahmed captain. Bringing younas back may not solve the problem we have to move forward. Some one mentioned Shoib malik. Until when we carry on these past their prime players like afridi, malik, younas, hafeez? 1 is enough. cant have all in same team.

nastybouncer
on August 30, 2014, 16:21 GMT

Pak does not learn from their mistakes. The only successful man during the tests Sarfaraz was sent back home and replaced with so called immense talent Umar Akmal. If Pak wants to have any chance of the world cup they must look to the youth and have trust in them. Ahmad Shehzad, Shahzaib Hasan, Fawad Alam, M. Hafeez, Asad Shafiq, Azhar Ali, Sarafarz, Sohaib Maqsood should be your backbone for the future. We have to find impactful bowlers besides Saeed Ajmal.

wapuser
on August 30, 2014, 16:16 GMT

PCB chairman should intervene in s

android_user
on August 30, 2014, 16:13 GMT

Well played SL. Congratulations. really deserved this. bowled with discipline & better team by far. Looking a solid unit under Mathews.
Really poor show by Pak. Sharjeel is failed batsman. Couldnt see any worse than him. no footwork. Afridi & Umar? not sure what were they doing.. Ahmed-hafeez-sharjeel got out because of poor footwork.
Misbah-Alam started slow but were ok partnership around 4 rpo. they didnt need any suicidal signle that time. That run out changed everything.
Most pathetic of the lot were umar & afridi. Umar hit a 6 & next ball going again. afridi was poor as usual. 26 overs left. thats over 150 balls to hit if cant wait to. team 7 down & you hit 1st ball. after playing 400 odis, still cant see the situation.
Maqsood got a good one. Wahab got wrong decision. AJmal & Irfan instead of supporting Alam were trying to hit. really poor show. only Alam did ok .
afridi, misbah, umar, sharjeel have to go now. Dont bring younas /maliks back. Make Alam/Ahmed captain.

dummy4fb
on August 30, 2014, 15:15 GMT

I think we Pak fans need to chill a bit. On paper, our team looks devastating, there's a lot of talent. We've got attacking openers, Good middle order batsmen and then good attacking batsmen as finishers. Our bowling looks good too, of course these pitches didn't support fast bowling as evident from the performances of SL pacers in the last few matches but we picked up good wickets via pace on pitches that assisted spin! The only problem I see is intent, whenever Pak batsmen play positively expect them to score 300+ each time but when they start playing defensively expect them to crumble!

dontlikecricket
on August 30, 2014, 15:01 GMT

SL played good cricket throughout the series, they deserved the wins. PAK has no chance of winning WC, they lack good quality batsmen. Most batsmen can't play quality spin,swing bowling or on bouncy pitches!! Fans should be realistic, and live in a real world!!!
I am not sure why they are dragging Afridi along the team. He has past his best. He may win you a game once or twice a year, but is it enough?
Hafeez should not open on bouncy wickets and Sharjeel has been given enough chances.He lacks quality to be a good batsman.
Although Misbah is not performing with the bat, he should remain captain until WC. I don't see another player to be captain at this stage. Anyway any news of possible change of a captain, then players will start grouping and will loose further focus.
Pak need to improve its first class standard in order to improve the quality of players.
Congrats SL, one of the fav to win WC!!

cjchanaka
on August 30, 2014, 14:51 GMT

Absolutely crushing victory by lions.I really didn't expect such a poor performance from PAK.This match showed the importance of having a real fast bowler upfront.Prasad was the man who put the pressure initially,malinga still wasn't at his best despite his figures in this match.Certainly we should go with kusal in the next ENG series and I think he will be a key factor in upcoming WC.Thisara is a real gem,he is the man who gives balance for the team.So overall a fantastic year for our cricket so far under fabulous MATHEWS,WELL DONE-:)

android_user
on August 30, 2014, 14:51 GMT

During sehwag days I hardly missed watching India's batting since it adds lots of excitement first up. Now it's kinda very boring with dhawan n rohit upfront scoring at a strike rate of 50. I would rather check the scores via espn cric info than feeling sleepy upfront.

Retour
on August 30, 2014, 14:41 GMT

Pak as usual is making Ind's performance in Eng look better :P

Crick_Expert
on August 30, 2014, 14:26 GMT

CONGRAT to SL from PAK. SL showed great performance in all fields. Mathew doing good job in SL team. We will miss JayWard in test cricket. Hope, In next WC2015 SL will be very dangerous team. PAK should learn from SL, their problem can be solve by hiring good batsmen and good bowlers from U-19. MISBAH is not deserve as CAPT, even not as batsman. U. AKMAL also weak in WKT and batting. Talha, Rahat Ali, Junaid Khan doesn't know how to do good line length bowling and Yorkers.

espncricinfomobile
on August 30, 2014, 14:20 GMT

What a waste sharjeel khan people say he has got talent he is a big hitter he is attacking what has he ever done nothing need to get rid of him and either bring nasir jamshid back or give Sami aslam a chance shoaib maqsood should be batting at least top 5 if not one down drop hafeez down to 7 instead of having one dimentional attack why not play one right arm fast bowler new talent needs to be given chance get hammad azam a chance the next series is against Australia in UAE please give nasir Sami and hammad a chance time to get rid of some of the dead wood no point playing for your own averages play for team and country

Champagne_Cricket
on August 30, 2014, 14:18 GMT

Fourth place in both Test and ODI rankings and second place in T20 rankings. This itself is an achievement for my tiny Island of just 20 million people, with lesser facilities. Way to go Sri Lanka. Let's unite the country through cricket.

Crick_Expert
on August 30, 2014, 14:17 GMT

Really poor batting performance from PAK. PCB should hire new players from Under-19 like Semi ASlam. Afridi & Sarjeel always hit like they playing baseball or Tennis, so they should always send as Opener batsman, under power play. Hafeez and Ahemd should play in middle order line. SARFRAZ should be in Team. MAQSOOD or AFRIDI should be CAPT for ODI WC2015. Junaid Khan, MISBAH, Rahat Ali, Talha, U. AKMAL brother should be drop from PAK ODI team now !

dummy4fb
on August 30, 2014, 13:49 GMT

what a sorry performance from pakistan.. some of the lankans need to get their waist lines down... fast.. imagine their performance level with slimmer, trimmer fitter and more powerful bodies.. winning the world cup will be more than possible..

dummy4fb
on August 30, 2014, 13:39 GMT

Pakistan coach ,captain and Hafeez all three of them make a note of it , dont send Hafeez as an opener if he gets exposed to faster bowlers with new ball and on bouncy pitches(outside sub-continent) he cannot survive more than couple of deliveries . Hafeez is good in middle order when spinners and medium pacers come into play , he can contribute in middle order.How to utilize the players captain should know this and misbah is lacking in this

Congratulations to SL! Mathew's leadership is phenomenal..!! If we had the same playing XI for the SA ODI series, certainly we would have won it. Right combination of players is a must to win matches frequently!

Thisara's capabilities as a seam bowler & a hard hitting batsmen were on display yet again! He is a REAL "master-blaster" who can whack the ball hard to all corners of the park... ! Unlike some miserably failed fake blasters, Thisara can make hefty blows facing pace & spin equally well.. in any condition on any deck! He is pretty consistent & won many matches for SL! He is a TRUE impact-player, who deliver goods not hype! Could be even promoted to the top, if EVER NEEDED such a short-term blast at the top.

android_user
on August 30, 2014, 13:34 GMT

@ jeewan anuradha, can't agree with your comment totally. Kusal is not a odi type openner, he best suits for t20s where you only need quick 15-20runs. WIth new ODI rules you no longer need an ultra expressive openner like Kusal. Tactic should be to keep your wickets until 30th over with 125 - 150 runs on the board, since that score can be doubled in the next 20. So, for the next few odis,it's better to have Upul as an openner.

dummy4fb
on August 30, 2014, 13:32 GMT

To my mind, there are three countries which can win the World Cup - South Africa, Asutralia and Sri Lanka, and certainly not in that order!

Congrats for a great Sri Lankan win.Was more than pleased to hear
Russell Arnold agreeing with my thoughts as Kusal is an impact player & should open when fit.Malinga came good when it mattered.Though Dhammika was good the wickets came as a result of Malinga's efforts from the other end.
Mathew should have come as a very close contender for the MOS award.

dummy4fb
on August 30, 2014, 13:14 GMT

Congratulations Sri Lanka from a Pakistan fan. You were the better side throughout the series and well deserved to win it. We will all miss Jayawardena, and this was a fitting farewell. I am very impressed with Matthews, both as a captain and as an all rounder. As for Pakistan, it is clear that they are far from being a competitive side, and have a great deal of rebuilding to do. They can start by dropping Sharjeel, sending Fawad Alam in miuch earlier, and Umar Akmal later. But once again, well done, Sri Lanka.

the problem with thisara is he never continues this rythem...ofcoz its not possible to do it everygame..but good players always brings the A game when needed!!hope he continues this form longer this time!!

android_user
on August 30, 2014, 12:22 GMT

where is umar gul ? sharjeel should not played again, fawad alam should be played at fourth, pakistan need to call back bilawal bhatii, hamad azam, jamshed, there is no spinner else ajmal why ?

dummy4fb
on August 30, 2014, 12:22 GMT

Well done Sri Lanka. Pakistan showed poor cricket..Hope Srilankan players perform like this in up coming England and NZ series. It is time to select most suitable team for world cup. hope Sanath and other member will get a right decision. Kusal must play as a opener. he is more impact player than Tharanga.I'd rather give him a chance in up coming England series. I'm sure he won't miss it. When Taranaga playing Dilshan has to get much risk..These days Dilshan is Totally different batsman. he scored little bit slowly what he did in 2 years ago..So Kusal must play with Dilshan.then Dilsan can express him self easily. otherwise sanga also in a trouble. Most important thing is SL really want Impact player like Kusal.

Superv stuff from sri lanka they looking good for the world cup. Kusal has to open with Dilshan, other than that this is a good squad for world cup with versatile attack. Hope Malinga and Kula will find rhythm in Eng series because both can be lethal in AUS & NZ .

wapuser
on August 30, 2014, 12:07 GMT

Well done to SL. Roaring lions!!!! We need to keep the momentum of winning always

LankaPuthra
on August 30, 2014, 11:57 GMT

Well Done SL!

Pakistan is the most "Up & Down" or "Hit or Miss" team I have ever seen. The 1st ODI was a run chase any team would take pride in. The 1st half of the Pak innings in the 2nd ODI came close to a great chase too. The 3rd was a complete flop! This level of inconsistency is not good for any team just before the ODI World Cup.

android_user
on August 30, 2014, 11:44 GMT

good to see seamers doing well, specialy when Malinga is not in a good rhythm

dummy4fb
on August 30, 2014, 11:36 GMT

Its good to see Thisara making a comeback. Forget about the past focus on future all the best Thisara.

Indian_Logic
on August 30, 2014, 11:32 GMT

Well done SL..Proud to see you winning. We are now not used to the feeling of loosing. :) Cz we had won everything that comes our way. Hats of to u guys. SA series the only place we have to suffer. But we admit they played better cricket than us. But still hope we can beat them in WC. Test match series against SA also went to the wire in the 2 nd test.. We are happy that we fought well infront of test number 1 ranked team for so long. We are developing as a test unit rapidly. That is a very good sign. Hope one day we can reach that number 1 position that we dream at :).. Under Matthews it will not be impossible :)

espncricinfomobile
on August 30, 2014, 11:24 GMT

Agree wid dmqi n mohidin

espncricinfomobile
on August 30, 2014, 11:18 GMT

Where's d professionalism guyz..n no fighting spirit at all..a lot of change is required in pak team as these batting collapses r just too frequent n since more than a decade..or else pak team is finished..they need a coach who can change their negative mindset n a captain who is aggressive n make d team believe of their capabilities n so called talent..batsmen with temperament n hard work only need to b der in d team..Misbah needs to be there in d team as pak do not hv enough reliable batsmen but shouldn't be d captain..get Imran nazir as opener As he's much more talented n game changer compared to other experimental openers..bring in a good competitive coach n captain first of all who can instill positivity in d team...my pak team would be:
1. Imran nazir/.nasir jamshed2.ahmed shehzad3.umar akmal4.shoaib maqsood5.misbahulhaq6.afridi/hafeez7.sarfaraz ahmed8.bilawal bhatti9.saeed ajmal10.Mohammad irfan11.junaid khan/wahab Riaz

Jeewaka9999
on August 30, 2014, 11:18 GMT

Congratulation SL for wonderful performance... U played like a Lion today.. Hope our selectors keep in form players like Thisara, Prasad, and Seekuge for next series instead of out of form non performancers..But it usually happens otherway around when next series starts..Hope our selectors will realize the need of good quality fast bowler in the side to get both early wickets and maximum from mali now..

Jda123
on August 30, 2014, 11:07 GMT

Pak are just a mediocre side, NZ would beat them in Aus/NZ conditions.

poor showing, shocked that people think they have any chance in the world cup, they will get ripped apart

KC_69
on August 30, 2014, 11:02 GMT

Hey on the lighter note Pak players can feel happy coz their womens team was 92 all out earlier today so 102 all out shows they are still the better of two.Chill out guys this is just cricket someone wins and other loses.

TheKeeper
on August 30, 2014, 11:02 GMT

Sri Lanka crushed Pakistan - period! Well played SL and all credit must go to Angelo and the SL bowlers. Pakistan have no idea how to bat first and set a target - they were like rabbits in the headlights.

dummy4fb
on August 30, 2014, 10:49 GMT

Now SL fans will put their all focus and attention to Eng-Ind series and would pray for India's defeat.

dmqi
on August 30, 2014, 10:47 GMT

When there is such a pathetic loss, pak supporters always ask for change in the team. How many collapse Pak team suffers each year? probably most by any team in the world. But they can not see anyone except Afridi, Malik etc to lead the team. Pak need to drop all old players and bring players like Fuad. They should have done that 3 years ago. And please do not talk about world cup 2015. You will not be in the top 4, I guarantee. This team has neither batsmen nor bowlers the statistics prove that.They have already joined Banglades, Zimbabew, Ireland level.

android_user
on August 30, 2014, 10:46 GMT

In Aussie/NZ conditions (WC) Kushal Perera and Kulasekara should play. Two have to go out. out of Priyanjan, Chandimal & Lahiru only one can be included. We have to win this as a tribute to greats..Mahela & Sanga!

It is time for misbah to step down not only as a captain but also retire from odi.He has already done much for the team.We need aggressive not defensive captain.

SriLankanYoungBlood
on August 30, 2014, 10:14 GMT

Congrats SL.Welldone.
This series could name Youngsters rescue both SL and Seniors.
Mathews,Thisara,Sekge gave very high contribution to to these 2 wins while other than mahela all seniors just like passengers.
That means without those dying seniors we could win not only match even a series.

dummy4fb
on August 30, 2014, 10:12 GMT

this is a good team performance by us today,and after this the team is having a three month break untill november when england will come,hope the teams management pays more attention to the fitness of players like malinga during this period,at the moment altough our team won they look a bit tired and fat and rusty,preparation for the england tour is important cos complacency might catch us surprised like it happened in the recent SA tour where complacent play just gifted SA a series victories in tests and ODIs for them to boast about and which we could have won had there been more discipline in bowling/fielding,good luck

espncricinfomobile
on August 30, 2014, 10:09 GMT

When we av generalists like Pak passion interviewing ppl like Shoaib Malik just before the ODI series to start Grouping again in the Team (He wants Afridi to be captain so he and aka Kami can make come back) then no one can change this Team, when u av four greedy players who r eyeing to be WC Team captain (Afridi Hafeez Shehzad Akmal)
Then is was bound to open, Misbah always played well on bouncy and fast pitches , Pak need players who play for Pak Team rather then Their own places.
Pak ODI Squad vs Aus
Shehzad (Last chance) 2 Nasir Jamshed/Babar Azam 3 Haris Sohail 4 Misbah 5 Fawad 6 Maqsood 7 Sarfraz 8 Anwar Ali 9 Ajmal 10 Wahab 11 Junaid 12 Irfan 13 Asad Shafiq 14 Hammad Azam 15 Raza Hassan
Get rid off players likes of Hafeez Afridi Umar Akmal.
If Nasir or Jamshed fails then move Maqsood as opener.
Misbah failed this series and Asia cup he was run out 3 times.
I know he will bounce back.
Pak problem is Top 3 and lower middle order :(

RVC-38
on August 30, 2014, 10:04 GMT

There is no way Pakistan men's team would get 102 against the Aussie women's team.

dummy4fb
on August 30, 2014, 10:04 GMT

Well played SL. Congratulations. really deserved this. bowled with discipline & better team by far. Looking a solid unit under Mathews.

Really poor show by Pak. Sharjeel is failed batsman. Couldnt see any worse than him. no footwork. Afridi & Umar? not sure what were they doing.. Ahmed-hafeez-sharjeel got out because of poor footwork.

Misbah-Alam started slow but were ok partnership around 4 rpo. they didnt need any suicidal signle that time. That run out changed everything.

Most pathetic of the lot were umar & afridi. Umar hit a 6 & next ball going again. afridi was poor as usual. 26 overs left. thats over 150 balls to hit if cant wait to. team 7 down & you hit 1st ball. after playing 400 odis, still cant see the situation.

There's no doubt that SL played well, but plz dont kid yourself if you're truly attributing this collapse to their bowling performance. Pakistan's batting has always been horrid, and once again they've shown the proof of such performances.

dummy4fb
on August 30, 2014, 9:55 GMT

Pakistan need lot of changes,. only captain wont do anything. Sharjeel is just poor . Ahmed played aggressive but poor shot,. Umar and Afridi were just too poor. after playing 100s of games they cant really see what situation they are in. Afridi particularly. you have 26 overs left. thats 156 balls to hit if you want that. and if you cant play then at least support fawad. Umar is too much inconsistent. We hear it alot of times about natural talent etc. but its the manner he gets out is bad.

Misbah, Afridi, Sharjeel and even Umar should be dropped. Hafeez play at 6 or 7. Make Alam or Ahmed captain. Bringing younas back may not solve the problem we have to move forward. Some one mentioned Shoib malik. Until when we carry on these past their prime players like afridi, malik, younas, hafeez? 1 is enough. cant have all in same team.

Lion_96
on August 30, 2014, 9:34 GMT

look at all these comments! No credit is ever given to SL. Whether we win the WT20 or any other match for that matter. I like the bowling attack we have got. Malinga, Prasad, Mathews, Perera, Herath & Prassana. Fast bowlers, medium pacers and spinners of both variety. Good Attack which would come in handy in AUS/NZL. T.Perera's form is critical to ensuring that the middle order stay intact.

ahad555
on August 30, 2014, 9:26 GMT

misbah ul haq should bwe drop or retir from tje odd team. captain shouls be younis , shoaib malik or afrid for the world cup 2015. hafeez should be drop and sharjeel also.

wapuser
on August 30, 2014, 9:13 GMT

I think the selectors have to change their mindset after this disastrous series. Misbah should step down from captaincy, and instead a youngster like Fawad or Umar should be made captain. Other teams, including Sri Lanka, have done this and Matthews is doing more than a fine job. These players play along with former captains, which in turn helps a lot. Also, with the form Fawad is in, he should be sent in at no.3 or 4 so he has enough time to build an innings. Pakistan only has a chance to win the World Cup if it pays with positive intent, which Pakistan lacks under Misbah's captaincy. Making Afridi or Hafeez the captain again won't do any good. Sri Lanka one played a match with 4 captains! Sanga and Mahela were way senior but did not object to Matthew's captaincy, but instead give him valuable advice.

ICCexpert....
on August 30, 2014, 8:53 GMT

This is the right time to makes changes in Pak team, otherwise it will be too late for world cup. Misbah had enough, he needs to be dropped and so do Hafeez and Shahzad. We need to selected Harris Sohail, Hasan Raza, Hammad Azam, Kamran Ghulam now and groom them for world cup 2015.

dummy4fb
on August 30, 2014, 8:53 GMT

I feel pity for Pak fans. But I can fully understand how does it feel, the pain, the desperation, disgust and hopelessness having been in same position when my team was batting in Eng though in different format. But I think Pak problem is more of selection & tactical. Fawad is one damn good batsman to be wasted too low in order. By the time he comes to bat ship is mostly sinking always. Yo do not need to score 300 like Indian batters do because you have the bowling to defend 200 and we do not have that (even defending 300 is tough sometimes). So 225 should be a good enough score for you most of the time. You play 5 overs quite, you start to slog, instead of "opening up a bit". Problem is not certainly the technique but in mind.

dummy4fb
on August 30, 2014, 8:36 GMT

drop misbah and change the captain for the good pro active 1.this is my pakistan team 1.umar akmal 2.nasir jamsied 3.ahmed shehzad 4.sohaib maqsood 5.muhammed hafeez 6.fawad alam 7.shahid afridi 8.umar gul 9.saeed ajmal 10.junaid khan 11.wahab riaz u might think i m a stupid to select akmal @ the top but guyz can't ignore is talent he is a david warner type of player at times he might stupid at the wicket but he can give up front momentum for the pakistan quick 30 r 40 hafeez is good against the swing ball @ all

Sinhaya
on August 30, 2014, 8:35 GMT

Pakistan is the only Asian team to win a bilateral ODI series in South Africa, whuch happened last year. What is happening to this team now? I have no words. Well hope Pakistan makes good use of the 6 week rest from tomorrow to prepare hard for the Australia series. Well hope Pakistan can use UAE to get back into form.

DirkL
on August 30, 2014, 8:30 GMT

The talent is there, but Pakistan needs the right sort of coach. They were "competitive and fierce" under Bob Woolmer. Waqar Younis has only been in the driving seat for a couple of months, and playing SL in SL is tough for everybody. Give him a little more time.

hkkkk
on August 30, 2014, 8:25 GMT

Pakistan cant think of winning the world cup with hafeez misbah and afridi in the batting order.....hafeez should come at no 6 or should drop himself...

dummy4fb
on August 30, 2014, 8:25 GMT

They are playing with something at that the
back of their minds.wonder what could be
bothering them.looks like it's almost over.

dummy4fb
on August 30, 2014, 8:19 GMT

shahid afridi and umar akmal should learn to play according to the situation where you are in ,both of them are experienced and mature to understand the situation the moment they came into bat they are throwing the wicket by playing rash shots which is not required at all, umar akmal was not in a position to play that shot need to control the joy after hiting the six and it is the responsibility of the head coach to teach the basic things. They should take certain things into the consideration when you come into bat the pitch behaviour , how many wickets left , how many overs left , which bowler to give respect , wait for the loose delivery play it accordingly .Coming to sharjeel there is no feet and foot work from him

Solid_Snake
on August 30, 2014, 8:15 GMT

@Resultpredictor: This is not a batting pitch.Check out the last few performances on this ground.Avg 1st ings score is 190 only here on this ground.Does this record look good to you?

Sinhaya
on August 30, 2014, 8:14 GMT

Fawad Alam proved that the wicket was not a problem. Why on earth has n't he played in the test matches? Had he played, would have been tough to beat Pakistan.

Well glad though that we are on the brink of a series win. But should not get too carried away with our bowling as Pakistani batting is famous for collapses. We will get a better picture of our bowling attack after the ODIs against England in November. High time we send Priyanjan up the order.

dummy4fb
on August 30, 2014, 8:10 GMT

Really poor show. when tailenders like irfan & Ajmal trying to hit & getting out then nothing can be done. Sharjeel is failed batsman. Couldnt see any worse than him. no footwork. Afridi & Umar? not sure what were they doing. 25-20 overs were remaining at that time. Ahmed-hafeez-sharjeel got out because of poor footwork.

Misbah-Alam started slow but were ok partnership around 4 rpo. they didnt need any suicidal signle that time. That run out changed everything.

Most pathetic of the lot were umar & afridi. Umar hit a 6 & next ball going again. afridi was poor as usual. 26 overs left. thats over 150 balls to hit if cant wait to. team 7 down & you hit 1st ball.

Well played by SL. really deserved this. bowled with discipline & better team by far. Improving a lot each day.

VinodGupte
on August 30, 2014, 8:04 GMT

It is disappointing to see a team that was once so competitive and fierce reduce to a pedestrian cricketing unit. Such is the case with Pakistani team these days. This team was once known for their never-say-die attitude. Now they are going through motions in almost every match, every series.

android_user
on August 30, 2014, 7:57 GMT

Well said and well done; this is our Pakistan Cricket Team comprising of so called world class players only on paper; if I'm not wrong bcoz we are never going to learn from our mistakes or even past.I can't understand the logic of our manager and selection committee as to why a player like Sarfraz performing so well in the tests be ignored in favour of the so called Xciting player Umar Akmal,it's time now to get rid of these kind of players for the world cup, not to mention of Bom Bom Afridi, who being a senior and most xperienced player never takes the responsibility to perform, it's high time to fully overhaul this team with youngsters.There is no replacement for Ajmal even, our bowlers toil hard to get the opposition out to the minimum total and here come our batting heroes to foil all their efforts.
Allah does not help those who don't help themselves, prayers work only when we whole heartedly perform well and then leave it to Allah.

espncricinfomobile
on August 30, 2014, 7:56 GMT

It happens in cricket , Didn't you guys saw how Indian batting line up collapse in England ? Arguably they have the best batting line up . So go easy on Pakistani batsmen , Except sharjeel . He needs to be shown the gate now .

Karthik78
on August 30, 2014, 7:41 GMT

When upper order batsmen failed, it is responsibility of all rounder/experienced lower order person. Here it is Afridi, but everyone accept that we can not expect him to bat like that. Only we can expect surprises from him. Pak is only team which can allow a player to play for everyone's surprises that too for over 300+ matches.

dummy4fb
on August 30, 2014, 7:32 GMT

This is the best team the country could put together and very few other choices to choose from.Forget about any hopes of WC .Are we seeing the end of Pakistan cricket as we have known it for last few decades,sadly so.

Sinhaya
on August 30, 2014, 7:28 GMT

Well I feel sorry for Pakistan. I was thinking this game will be a cracker. Well have to say Pakistani batting is largely responsible as our bowling was not that great.

Fawad Alam is shouldering the burden! Why on earth was he out of the team for over 3 years in spite of having a healthy average? How is it that Sherjeel Khan gets so many chances after non stop failures?

Glad we dropped wicketless Kulasekara to give way for Prasad and he justified his selection. Upul Tharanga should open with Kusal Perera for the world cup as I am not happy about Dilshan's performance.

Sheikasif
on August 30, 2014, 7:21 GMT

Pakistan back to old ways. Shows signs of improving in one match and the rest is history. What chance we have of winning when we cant even beat Zimbabewe.

android_user
on August 30, 2014, 7:03 GMT

Srilanka should persist with Upul Tharanga as he is much talented yet very much under valued player.

dummy4fb
on August 30, 2014, 7:01 GMT

Come on commentators . If this collapse is because of the 'line' and 'length' of Sirlankan bowlers, then every second team in the world has got bowlers with impeccable line and length.

And yes Sharjeel Khan needs to be shown the door and never considered again!

dummy4fb
on August 30, 2014, 6:56 GMT

what a bowling performance by srilanka, 81/8 thats why we need malinga and prasad . dear selectors have you seen thisara perereß . well done team srilanka . ióur next target is wc 2015 but 14 games left After that match. comon . rain rain go away

ksquared
on August 30, 2014, 6:48 GMT

How often have we seen this... The now infamous Pakistan batting collapse in crunch games!! Well a series against Pakistan won't be complete without it.... ;)

vsprabhu01
on August 30, 2014, 6:44 GMT

I am a great fan of Pakistan bowling from the days of Imran Khan to Wahab Riaz. Also the fighting spirit, which is deteriorating nowadays. I like the aggression which is Unique pakistani way. I would suggest a few players in the mix for world cup. Nasir jamshed for Sharjeel khan, Asad shafiq for Misbah and Sarfaraz for Umar Akmal will give them stability without reducing their hitting power. Hafeez can captain the team for WC2015

Resultpredictor
on August 30, 2014, 6:43 GMT

Pakistan batsman cannot even bat on batting pitch, this is the worst batting performance ever by top team. Only God can save Pakistan from humiliation.

dummy4fb
on August 30, 2014, 6:32 GMT

maqsood got a good one but umar and Afridi??? there were 26-30 overs left man. thats 150+ balls to hit if you cant wait. that is really poor.

pritamdas_circ
on August 30, 2014, 6:29 GMT

With this batting line up I don't think Pakistan have any hopes to reach even super eight in WC 2015. Serious attention required.

dummy4fb
on August 30, 2014, 6:12 GMT

here we go again. though all of batsmen out are responsible but would like to pin point 2 more. Sharjeel a total failed batsman. nothing after 1st innings. No foot work. Umar Akmal just had a 6 and next ball trying to go again what was he thinking? he could never learn.

They started slow. But top3 got out because of poor footwork against fast bowlers. Misbah-Alam started slow as usual but partnership was going at 4rpo. they really didnt need suicidal singles at that stage of game. Just when things were getting better , a run out. And then umar akmal did the rest.

SL bowled with discipline and accuracy and that paid well for them.

i_love_indian_team
on August 30, 2014, 6:10 GMT

Nothing to take away from SL bowlers. But this batting display is one of the worst from Pak. When will Pak will have good openers like Saed Anwar or batsman like Inzi?Sharjeel has been given with enough chances and he should be dropped immediately. I see a good batsman in Fawad Alam, otherwise Pak should rethink about their strategy on batting.....

gud start for
sri lankans...agree with Muhammad Mustafa Sumra... But more important at this time is Batting coach...Best Batting Coach

android_user
on August 30, 2014, 5:36 GMT

I'm beginning to hate Sharjeel Khan. He is a total failure and the worst Pakistan opener I have ever seen. His batting today completely reflects his average in ODI. Enough chances given. Now please get this guy break.

Resultpredictor
on August 30, 2014, 5:13 GMT

As usual Pakistan collapse started, just formality to be completed. SL dominance over Pakistan continues. SL on course of big victory. SL will win by 6 wickets. Congrats SL for famous series victory. NO ONE CAN SAVE PAKISTAN FROM HUMILIATION NOW.

android_user
on August 30, 2014, 4:49 GMT

sharjeel should pe dropped until he learns the basic of batting!! since the debut match he has not scored more than 30 !!!! thats ridiculous for an opener... lets open with haffez and shehzad

No featured comments at the moment.

android_user
on August 30, 2014, 4:49 GMT

sharjeel should pe dropped until he learns the basic of batting!! since the debut match he has not scored more than 30 !!!! thats ridiculous for an opener... lets open with haffez and shehzad

Resultpredictor
on August 30, 2014, 5:13 GMT

As usual Pakistan collapse started, just formality to be completed. SL dominance over Pakistan continues. SL on course of big victory. SL will win by 6 wickets. Congrats SL for famous series victory. NO ONE CAN SAVE PAKISTAN FROM HUMILIATION NOW.

android_user
on August 30, 2014, 5:36 GMT

I'm beginning to hate Sharjeel Khan. He is a total failure and the worst Pakistan opener I have ever seen. His batting today completely reflects his average in ODI. Enough chances given. Now please get this guy break.

dummy4fb
on August 30, 2014, 5:38 GMT

gud start for
sri lankans...agree with Muhammad Mustafa Sumra... But more important at this time is Batting coach...Best Batting Coach

Nothing to take away from SL bowlers. But this batting display is one of the worst from Pak. When will Pak will have good openers like Saed Anwar or batsman like Inzi?Sharjeel has been given with enough chances and he should be dropped immediately. I see a good batsman in Fawad Alam, otherwise Pak should rethink about their strategy on batting.....

dummy4fb
on August 30, 2014, 6:12 GMT

here we go again. though all of batsmen out are responsible but would like to pin point 2 more. Sharjeel a total failed batsman. nothing after 1st innings. No foot work. Umar Akmal just had a 6 and next ball trying to go again what was he thinking? he could never learn.

They started slow. But top3 got out because of poor footwork against fast bowlers. Misbah-Alam started slow as usual but partnership was going at 4rpo. they really didnt need suicidal singles at that stage of game. Just when things were getting better , a run out. And then umar akmal did the rest.

SL bowled with discipline and accuracy and that paid well for them.

pritamdas_circ
on August 30, 2014, 6:29 GMT

With this batting line up I don't think Pakistan have any hopes to reach even super eight in WC 2015. Serious attention required.